Darkest Before Dawn
by Akatsuki Child
Summary: Annabeth and Grover go to see Percy for his birthday, but when they see Rachel, things get very complicated. Percy has to now make the choice between the girl he loves and the girl he thought he knew. Multiple POVs. Percabeth.
1. Wise or Unwise?

**Chapter One: Wise or Unwise?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO!**

**(Annabeth's POV)**

Being a daughter of Athena, I should be wise. I guess I am, but lately I've made some choices that make me question how wise I really am. I'm twenty-three years old, and yet I feel like I'm still fifteen. That was the hardest time of my life because that was when I led the quest into the Labyrinth, and when we came out, things just became complicated.

After eight years, they still are.

The one person I tried to escape from followed me. Perseus Jackson, better known as Percy (or in my case Seaweed Brain), would always be there in my mind, like a fly that wouldn't leave me alone. It was hard leaving him on Half-Blood hill. It ripped a whole in my heart, one that seemed almost impossible to fix. 'Almost' being the key word. Once I grew up, I moved to San Francisco where time was the only thing that could heal me.

So here I am. I live in an apartment by myself. I have plenty of friends, and I'm single. There are three reasons why that is: one, I still have some serious feelings for Percy; two, I'm afraid of getting hurt; and three, some of the guys here are major freaks! This one time I started a relationship with this guy Davis. He was very nice, and he treated me right, but then one night, after we had dinner, we were sitting on the couch, and he suddenly was kissing my feet! After freaking out, I learned that he had an obsession with my feet! That relationship ended just as quickly as it had started.

I sighed and rearranged myself so I could lean back on my hands and allow the warm sun to kiss my face. I was currently lying on my beach towel on North Beach in San Francisco. It was a strange method to try and forget about the son of Poseidon while being so close to the ocean.

I huffed. The reason why I was thinking about Percy so much lately was because his birthday was coming soon. Usually, I just sent him a card and his gift. However, this year I would be hand delivering it.

See, a couple days ago, I had gotten an Iris Message from Grover (who was in New Jersey) and he wanted me to go with him to Manhattan to see Percy. I had the choice to turn Grover down, but I couldn't do that to him. Even though he had grown up (he still looked eighteen though), he was still pretty sensitive.

So, roughly translated, I had no choice.

I would be boarding a plane to New York tomorrow morning, and I still had to pack a week's worth of clothes. I gathered up my towel, grabbed my bag, and started on my way back home.

The next morning, I found myself in the airport, groggy and upset. I had gotten up at six _just_ so I could be here on time. After I got my luggage checked, I boarded the plane, went to my seat, and immediately collapsed. I hoped to the gods that I didn't have to sit by a chatterbox. Thankfully, I only had to sit by a little girl and her mother.

I leaned back and shut my eyes. I instantly fell asleep.

It felt like only a minute had passed before I felt my arm being shaken.

"Excuse me, miss?" I looked over and saw the little girl staring at me with wide eyes, but it wasn't her that had spoken. It was her mother. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but the plane will be landing in a few minutes."

"Oh," I said, stunned that I was here already. "No, that's fine. Thank you."

"No problem, dear," she smiled genuinely. I smiled back before looking out the window.

We passed over New York under a sunny sky with barely a cloud in sight. I felt butterflies flutter in my stomach. At the same time, a sense of dread washed over me. I hadn't seen Percy for eight years. I didn't know what he looked like, where he lived…I didn't know anything!

It made me nervous, a feeling I didn't like.

Once the plane landed, I stepped off with the rest of the passengers and found my luggage. There, waiting for me, was Grover. My earlier feelings of dread washed away and I couldn't help but be happy to see him. He ran up to me and I gave him a huge hug. We were about the same height—I was maybe a little taller—and he had shaggier hair. I could tell his horns were getting bigger because I saw little pointed tips at the top of his hat.

"I can see that hat will be useless pretty soon," I chuckled.

He grinned. "Yup," he agreed. "Pretty soon I'll have to drop the human disguise. So, are you ready to see Percy?"

My smile faltered.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I sighed.

He smiled sadly, but didn't say anything. I grabbed my luggage, and we left the airport. On the walk to the hotel, I had to wonder… was I ready for this? Was I ready to confront Percy, the guy I was trying to run away from? Was I ready to face my fears?

In summary, was I ready to possibly get heartbroken again?

After checking into my hotel, and after freshening up, Grover and I left for Percy's apartment. Once we arrived, we climbed up the steps of apartment 4C. I took a deep breath as Grover knocked on the door.

"I'm coming!" a male voice shouted from inside that caused my heart to stutter. Suddenly, the door opened, and my heart started pounding.

There, standing in the doorway with a gray t-shirt and jeans, was Percy. His black hair was still a messy slop on his head, and his sea-green eyes seemed to be brighter. He was tall and lean, his muscles from sword fighting prominent through his shirt.

I kept my gaze on my feet as he said, "Grover! It's great to see you! And…Annabeth?" I could hear the surprise in his voice as I continued to study my feet. I was sure I was blushing to my roots when I decided to look at him. His mouth was agape as he stared at me without speaking.

But just then, a new voice—a woman's—called, "Hey, Percy, who is—oh." I looked past Percy's head into the apartment and saw bright red hair.

"Guys, you remember Rachel?" Percy asked.

My heart dropped.


	2. Familiar Faces

**Chapter Two: Familiar Faces**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO!**

**(Annabeth's POV)**

I couldn't believe it.

I became mad. I felt the air around me grow tense.

"Of course," I said in a low, icy voice. "How could I forget?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Grover visibly shiver. When I looked at Percy, his eyes were a shade darker than before.

"Annabeth…" he warned.

I huffed angrily. I haven't seen him for two minutes and already we were fighting. _S__he,_ like always, was the cause of the fight.

"Would you guys like to come in?" Percy asked tersely.

"Uh, sure," Grover said nervously. "Why not?"

We stepped inside, and I had to admit, I was impressed.

The floors were wooden and you had to step up to get to the main floor. There was a nice kitchen with an island in the corner. The wall opposite the door was completely glass (kind of like in Twilight). To the right was the living room with a couch, a recliner, a TV, and a game system. To the left was a small study filled with easels and a desk. There were two windows that looked over some of Manhattan. I guessed that was the room Rachel painted in. Finally, there was a hallway with a few doors to other places.

I noticed all of the paintings that lined the walls, and despite the fact that Rachel did them, I couldn't help thinking they were good.

I was a little jealous. It looked like Percy had no problem moving on with life, whereas I was a wreck.

"Make yourself at home," Percy said. Grover and I sat down on the couch. Rachel came and sat with Percy on the recliner.

An awkward silence soon followed.

"So…" Percy started in an attempt at conversation. "Not to be rude or anything, but why are you guys here?"

"Well, we really just stopped by to say 'hi'. It's your birthday soon and I thought that we could hang out together like old times," Grover replied with a shrug. I was studying the pattern in the wood, trying to avoid his eyes.

"You came all the way from San Francisco for my birthday?" Percy asked me, shocked. My face went hot as I nodded.

"But it's not like I had a choice!" I quickly defended myself. "Grover asked me to and there's no way I could tell him no with him being sensitive and all," I joked, nudging Grover in the process.

"Hey!" he retaliated and Percy chuckled. "So Percy," Grover said. "Are you in?"

"Yeah, that would be awesome! So when are we doing this?" he asked.

"How about tomorrow?" I suggested.

"Alright, sounds great," he smiled.

I knew in the pit of my stomach that it was wrong to like this guy when he had a girlfriend. What if they were engaged? No! Don't think like that! There's no way they could be engaged! Besides, there wasn't a ring on her hand...

_But what if he didn't have a ring at the time?_ a voice contradicted.

A wave of dread washed over me at the possibility.

After talking some more with them, we left the apartment. When we were walking back to the hotel, a dove flew down to us and landed on Grover's shoulder. There was a message attached to the bird's leg. Grover took it and set the bird free before he read it.

"It's from a satyr in Central Park. He says he needs my help." Grover looked at me apologetically. "Would you mind walking back to the hotel by yourself?"

"No, that's fine. Don't worry about me, Grover. Go help save nature," I said with a smile. He grinned back.

"Thanks, Annabeth." He ran off waving back to me.

I continued on my journey to the hotel. I made a plan. I was going to take a shower and then watch some cheesy romance movies. Maybe I would even order some room service, perhaps something from the lob—

I ran into something and fell on top of it. I rolled to the side and quickly got up. I looked at the 'something' and realized it was a girl.

She looked oddly familiar…

"Oh my gods! I'm so sorry!" I apologized.

"Watch where you're going!" she yelled.

Wait a minute. I knew that voice…It almost sounded like…

"Thalia?"

"Who's asking?" It _was_ her!

"Thalia! It's me, Annabeth!" Thalia looked up with wide eyes. Then she smiled.

"Oh my gods! It's you, Annabeth! You've gotten older!"

"And you haven't changed one bit," I smirked. She was still fifteen years old, meaning she now came up to my chest.

"Darn right I haven't! So what brings you to New York?"

"Before I answer anything, do you think we could go to my hotel room to talk? Just so it's more private and so we're not standing here like idiots."

"Of course. Lead the way."


	3. Silena

**Chapter Three: Silena**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO!**

* * *

**(Annabeth's POV)**

As we walked to the hotel, I couldn't help but feel grateful that Thalia was here. When we arrived, we went up to my room. I sat on the bed, and Thalia sat across from me.

"Okay, spill. Something's bothering you," Thalia demanded, her eyes staring intently at my face. I shifted uncomfortably. "And if I didn't know any better," she continued. "I'd say it has something to do with Percy."

"What makes you think that?" I replied weakly.

"I know you, and I know you still have a thing for him. So, what happened?"

I then told her everything, from leaving Percy on Half-Blood hill, to what happened at Percy's apartment. After I was done, she had a look of shock on her face that soon turned to pity.

"That really sucks, Annabeth," she said sympathetically. "So, what are you going to do?"

I sighed. "After this week, I'll just have to move on and forget about him. It won't be easy, but-"

"Annabeth, no!" Thalia interrupted, jumping in fury. "You can't just walk away!"

"There's nothing I can do!"

"Of course there is!"

"Oh yeah?" My voice was skeptical now. "And what would that be?"

"You fight back."

Now I was confused.

"What?"

"Ugh," Thalia sighed and shook her head. "You are so slow today. Okay, you obviously love Percy, and I'm sure Rachel does too, but I don't think all of her intentions are on Percy, if you know what I mean."

I actually did get a little of what she was saying, but I was still a bit confused. "You mean like there's another goal on her mind?"

"Exactly," she smirked. "My theory is she was jealous of you so she tried to get between you guys."

"Well, if that was her plan, she was successful."

"But see, this is your chance to change that!" she contradicted. "It's your chance to get what _you_ want."

I crossed my arms loosely over my chest and thought about it. Thalia was right. I was always caring for the well being of other people, even if I hurt myself in the process. Not that that was a bad thing, but for once it would be nice to have what I want, to have my actions make _myself _happy.

Plus, if anything really bad happened, I would always have San Francisco to escape to…again.

"Okay, what's the plan?"

Thalia grinned, and it scared me.

"Tomorrow you're hanging out with Percy and Grover, right?" I nodded. "This will be the first phase of my master plan. All you have to do is get him interested in you." I nodded again. Sadly, I understood what she meant, and I had a good idea of what I would have to do.

"But tonight, we have to get you prepared. We'll start with your wardrobe. I'm not exactly the right person for this, but I know someone who is," she said matter-of-factly.

"Who?" I was honestly curious.

She smiled. "Silena Beauregard."

My eyebrows shot up. I knew she was perfect for this, but I hadn't heard from her for a long time.

"Is she in New York?"

Thalia nodded. "Last time I talked to her, she was living in Brooklyn with Beckendorf."

"Really?"

"Yeah, in fact, I think they're engaged."

"I'll call her. What's her number?"

Thalia told me the number. I dialed it, and waited. After the third ring, a peppy, soprano voice answered.

"Hello?"

"Hi, is this Silena?" I asked.

"Yeah. Who's this?"

"Hey, it's Annabeth Chase."

"Annabeth! Hi! How are you?"

I chuckled. "I'm good. How about you?"

"I'm doing great! Did you know Charlie proposed to me a couple months ago?"

"Really? That's great! Listen, I need to ask a favor of you."

"Sure. Is anything wrong?"

"No, no. It's just that I'm in New York, and I need your help." I then went on to explain the plan to her. She was silent through the whole thing, though by the time I was done, I guessed she was about to explode with contained excitement. "So will you help us?"

"Of course I will!" she practically shouted in my ear. I had to pull the phone away, causing Thalia to laugh. "I'll come to your hotel room in about an hour. See you later!"

"Thanks so much! I'll see you soon." I hung up the phone and sat on the bed.

I wouldn't lie and say I wasn't nervous about tomorrow. I was worried. What if he found out what I was doing and hated me? Seeing him love someone else, I can barely handle. I wouldn't be able to take it if he hated me also.

An hour later, Silena showed up outside my hotel room with a large Gucci bag hanging off her elbow.

"Hi guys!" she greeted with a smile and a wave. I let her in, and she set her bag on a chair by the window. "I'll probably be staying tonight, if that's okay with you, Annabeth."

"That's fine," I smiled at her, and she smiled back. She then clasped her hands together.

"What are we doing first?" she asked and I looked over at Thalia.

"Yeah, what _are_ we doing first?" I asked.

"We're going shopping," she stated, disgust laced with her words.

"Yay!" Silena exclaimed. She grabbed both of our wrists and dragged us out the door, down the stairs to the lobby, and out the hotel.

"You said you're going to be with Percy and Grover tomorrow, right?" Silena asked me as we stepped inside a store.

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?" I replied.

"It's going to help me pick out an outfit for you. You'll want to go with something a little more conservative, but still has some pizzazz to it that makes every guy look at you."

I blushed. "H-Hey, I'm not hoping for every guy to look at me, just Percy."

"But it's the ultimate test. If Percy sees other men looking at you, he'll become protective and jealous, and that will mean that there are still feelings for you buried inside him."

Both Thalia and I stared at her with surprise.

"She's diabolical," Thalia muttered while Silena started looking through racks of clothing. Every once in a while she pulled something out and laid it on her forearm. When she was done, she gave them to me and pushed me into the fitting rooms.

"Put these on and show us," she commanded.

The first outfit was a white blouse with a light yellow cashmere pull over with denim Bermuda shorts and flip-flops.

"I'd give it a seven out of ten," Thalia simply said.

"I think it's good. We'll keep it," Silena said. "Try the next one."

So I did. This outfit was a graphic tee shirt with jean short shorts and low top Converse.

"Six," Thalia said.

"It's cute, but not the right outfit for tomorrow. Now try the last one," Silena said once again.

Once I put the outfit on, I knew it was the one. It was a blood red dress with spaghetti straps. There was a white ribbon under the bust that tied like a bow in the back. It then flowed down to my knees. The outfit was completed with white flats.

When I stepped out, they were stunned, but then they grinned.

"Definitely a ten."

"Oh, this one is perfect! We'll get all of the outfits, but you are definitely wearing this one tomorrow!" I smiled and went back in to change.

As I was changing, I felt things might actually work out. I had a good feeling about tomorrow. Maybe, just maybe, things wouldn't be so bad. Being with my friends again helped boost my confidence and I knew tomorrow would be even better being with my two best friends.

For once, I felt nothing could possibly go wrong.


	4. First Encounter

**Chapter Four: First Encounter**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO!**

* * *

**(Annabeth's POV)**

After some more shopping, we had found myself eleven outfits for a total amount I wanted to neither remember nor see again. We left the store and made our way to the hotel. However, when we passed a manicure/pedicure store, and when Silena saw the 'Fifty percent of your total amount, today only!' sign, we stopped.

My eye started twitching.

Silena grinned at us.

"Oh, no," Thalia said, shaking her head and backing away from the store like it was her father Zeus threatening to strike her down with his thunderbolt.

"Yeah, I'm with Thalia on this one," I said.

"C'mon guys! Please?" Silena begged. Her lower lip started trembling and her eyes were tearing up.

"Ugh, fine. But I am NOT getting a manicure OR a pedicure!" Thalia amended. Silena just squealed and entered the store.

"You were right," I said to Thalia as we followed after her. "She _is_ diabolical."

Once we stepped in, I immediately wished we hadn't.

It was a large room with off-white walls. There were black, leather recliners lining one side of the room. On the other side of the room, there were women dressed in white uniforms, sitting at desks doing people's nails. To the left of the door was a big black desk with a woman in a white blouse and a black pencil skirt. Her hair was pulled back into a tight bun and she had too much make-up on.

She apparently didn't notice us because she kept writing on a paper with a blue pen with a spoon attached to it at the top.

"Excuse me," Silena started, causing the lady to look up abruptly. Her nametag said 'Jenny'. "Hi, I'm here to have a manicure and a pedicure."

"Alright," she said, smiling tightly (it was evident she had had plastic surgery). "Right this way. And how about you, dear?" she now asked me.

"Oh, no thank you. I'm just waiting for her."

"Okay." Another tight smile. "And you?" She asked Thalia.

"Does it look like I need a manicure _or_ a pedicure?" she replied menacingly.

Jenny pursed her lips and looked Thalia up and down, taking in her ripped up jeans, her punk shirt, and her raggedy jacket. Jenny glared at her.

"You can wait in the waiting room with your friend," she said and gestured to a small room with a few people flipping through magazines. Thalia and I entered the room.

"Hello, Annabeth," an icy voice greeted from behind me. I turned around and there was Rachel Elizabeth Dare.

My eyes narrowed. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Thalia tense.

"Hi, Rachel. What are you doing here?" I said, false politeness leaking from every word.

"I could ask you the same thing, or more importantly, what the _hell_ are you doing in New York, Chase?" she growled.

"I came to see Percy for his birthday."

"You don't expect me to believe that, do you?"

My eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"You're a child of Athena. You always have a plan for everything."

My eyes narrowed even more. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying I know that you are trying to steal Percy from me. It won't work though."

"And I'm supposed to believe that you actually care for him, right?"

"I do care for him, but I also care about winning."

Now I was disgusted. "This isn't a game, Rachel. People will get hurt because of what you're doing."

"Hmm, all's fair in love and war, right? You should know that."

"And you should know that I'm going to tell Percy what's going on."

"Go ahead. He won't believe you."

"What makes you think that?"

"You guys haven't talked for eight years. You can't possibly believe things are the same between you guys."

That got me. The sad thing was that she was right. It was plain as day that things _were _different. If I confided in him about her, he wouldn't believe one word of it.

My resolve to do this plan started to waver, and my confidence started crumbling. She must have seen the look of defeat on my face, because she smirked and stood up.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go home. I'll see you guys later."

I remained standing for a second before my vision became blurry. Thalia came to my side.

"Don't worry, Annabeth," she said, trying to comfort me. "We'll get her back."

"Hey guys! Sorry it—Annabeth! What happened?" Silena asked as she entered the room and came to my side. I was thankful that we were the only ones in the room. "Come on," she continued. "Let's go back to the hotel."

I walked to the door with difficulty. My legs were trembling so bad it was hard to stay standing. The tears weren't necessarily from Rachel and my dispute. Actually, they were from the fact that Percy was oblivious to her intentions, and I knew that he would get hurt. I was sad for him.

By the time we got back to the room, I was feeling a little bit better. I heard Thalia muttering to Silena about what happened as I went to the bathroom to clean up.

Why did this have to happen to me? Was it Aphrodite again, trying to ruin my life? Couldn't I have happiness for once?

Apparently not.


	5. Benjamin Fuller

**Chapter Five: Benjamin Fuller**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO!**

* * *

**(Annabeth's POV)**

The next day, I woke up at around nine. I wasn't sure where Thalia had gone, but I had a feeling she would be coming back soon. Silena was still sleeping, so I decided to go downstairs to get some breakfast.

I took the elevator down to the lobby where there was a room filled with a variety of breakfast foods. There were about ten tables with two or three chairs at each table. In two of the corners of the room, there were TV's, one showing the news, the other showing some comedy show. Only four of the tables were occupied.

I walked over to one of the counters and grabbed a bowl. I went over to the cereals and chose Cheerios. I grabbed a carton of milk to pour in my cereal. I turned around, deciding to go back to my room, but I ran into someone. I stumbled back, dropping a few Cheerios in the process.

"Whoa, you okay?" a deep, male voice asked. I looked up and blushed a little. Before me was a man who looked to be in his early twenties. He had hazel eyes and bronze hair **(sounds like Edward Cullen :D)**. He was smiling, showing his pure white teeth **(now I'm sure it's Edward Cullen). **

"U-um," I stuttered. _Get a hold of yourself, Annabeth!_ "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm sorry, I should really watch were I'm going."

"Oh no, that's okay," he laughed. "By the way, I'm Benjamin Fuller, but you can call me Ben."

"I'm Annabeth."

"Cute name. So, where're you from?"

"San Francisco."

"You came all the way out here from California? What for?"

"It's my friend's birthday tomorrow."

"Must be a good friend."

"Yeah…" I didn't know if Percy was a good friend anymore. Maybe he was when we were kids, but not anymore. "Where're _you_ from?"

"Omaha, Nebraska."

"For?"

"Sight-seeing."

"You came all the way out here just to sleep under starless skies and see polluted waters?"

"Touché," he said laughing.

"Well," I said with a smile. "I should probably go back to my room. My friends are probably wondering where I am. I'll see you later…?"

"Yeah, totally. See you." I waved to him and left.

_That was a little strange…_

I entered the room and found Silena already awake.

"Morning," I greeted her. She just mumbled something unintelligible and I took that as a 'morning', so I started eating.

When I was done, Silena shoved me into the bathroom, demanding I take a shower. "I'm going to help you get ready" was all she said when I asked her what she was doing. I sighed, but nonetheless obliged.

Once I was done and wrapped up in my fluffy white robe, I emerged from the bathroom. Silena grabbed me and sat me down in a chair where she started working on my hair. She promised she wouldn't do that much make up. I had no choice but to trust her.

She put mousse and hairspray in my hair. Then she started curling it in loose curls that cascaded down past my shoulders. She went to work on my make-up, adding a little mascara and a tad bit of blush. She pushed me again into the bathroom, though this time she gave me the dress and the shoes.

I slipped them on and looked at myself in the mirror. Usually, I wouldn't have chosen something like this, but it actually looked good on me. The dress was exactly the right length, and the overall look was very appropriate for today.

I stepped out and Silena looked like she wanted to scream with joy.

"You look so pretty!" she said, rushing up to fix something in my hair. "Okay," she said when she was done. "I think you're ready. Good luck!"

I took a deep breath, and walked out the door.

I'm pretty sure I was blushing the whole time I was walking to Percy's apartment. The men that happened to walk past me would stop and stare at me. Some even wolf whistled at me. Normally, I would have gone over and kicked their butts, but seeing as I didn't have the time (or the appropriate butt-kicking outfit), I just kept walking, hands clenched at my sides. It was embarrassing having all these guys staring at me like I was something to eat.

Soon enough, to my relief, I arrived at Percy's. I climbed the stairs and knocked on the door.

"I'm coming!" I heard Percy shout. Once again, my heart stuttered. He opened the door. "Hey Anna…beth," he started cheerfully but then stopped. He was looking me up and down.

I blushed redder than a tomato.

**(Percy's POV)**

I stared at her. She was beautiful. I know it's wrong to say that when you're with someone else, but, believe it or not, I still had feelings for her. It hurt when she left me on the hill eight years ago. Then she moved to the other side of the country and didn't talk to me at all. But no matter how much it hurt, and no matter how much she had ignored me, I still cared for her.

"Hi, Percy," she said, snapping me out of my reverie.

"H-hey. I'll be ready in just a sec. I just have to grab my shoes." I rushed in to Rachel's/my room **(gag a maggot)** and grabbed my shoes. I slipped them on and ran back to Annabeth.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Yup," I replied. "So, where are we going?"

"I think we're meeting with Grover in Central Park."

"Oh yeah, that's right." How could I forget G-man?

We walked in silence for a few minutes before I got up the courage to talk to her.

"So, how've you been?" I couldn't help but notice that it sounded like I was asking 'How've you been without talking to me?' I winced a little at that.

If she noticed, she didn't say anything. Instead, she said, "Alright, I guess. How about you? How's life with Rachel?" she asked, disgust obvious when she said Rachel's name. I knew she hated Rachel, but was it really that bad?

"Good." There was a question bugging me, so I decided I would ask it, even if it meant possibly going home with a black eye. "Say, why do you hate Rachel so much anyways?"

**(Annabeth's POV)**

My eyes narrowed. Embarrassingly enough, a few tears came to my eyes. That Seaweed Brain better watch it, otherwise I _will_ kick his butt.

"Percy, there's something yo-"

Just then his phone rang.

He took out his phone and answered it.

"Rachel!" _A stab to the heart._

"Yes, dear." _Another stab to the heart._

"Okay, I love you." _Third time's a charm._

"I'm sorry, Annabeth, what were you saying?"

I sighed to myself, my heart dropping. "Never mind. Let's just go find Grover."


	6. Jealousy

**Chapter Six: Jealousy**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO!**

* * *

**(Annabeth's POV)**

"Come on, Annabeth!" Percy exclaimed. "Don't be like that. Tell me what you were going to say!"

That's it.

"You don't see it, do you, Percy?" I asked bitterly.

"See _what_?" he asked exasperated.

"You might not see it, but I do! Rachel is just a lie, Percy! She's been lying to you since gods know when!"

"Stop talking in riddles and give me a straight answer for once!"

"You know what she told me yesterday? She said all she cared about was winning! Ever since she knew we were friends, she's been trying to get between us just because she didn't want to lose to me."

A few tears rolled down my cheeks.

Percy was silent. He stared at me, disbelief in his eyes.

"I don't believe you," he said slowly.

"Of course you don't," I huffed and turned to walk away.

"There you go, running away, like always."

I turned around and glared at him. I stomped up to him and pulled my fist back. I snapped it forward and punched him in the nose.

It was oddly satisfying.

"Ow!" He fell to his knees and clutched his nose. "Dammit, Annabeth!"

"Annabeth?" a new voice asked.

I looked up. "Ben?" I asked, shocked.

"Ben?" Percy asked, turning around to look at us. "Who's Ben?"

"I am," Ben said. "Annabeth, what's going on?"

"Nothing," I said quickly. "What are you doing here?"

"Like I said earlier, I'm sight-seeing," he said with a perfect smile. Percy stood up and cracked his nose with one swift motion of his hands.

"Ben, this is Percy Jackson, the friend I told you about."

"Oh yeah! Hi, I'm Ben Fuller." He stuck his hand out to Percy. Percy just stared at it.

"Hi," Percy said stiffly. "So where did _you _guys meet?"

"We're staying at the same hotel," I said. "I ran into him this morning."

"Literally," Ben said, smiling. I chuckled. Percy just hummed uninterested. I elbowed him in the ribs and he winced. "So what are you doing today, Annabeth?" Ben asked me.

"Oh-"

"She's spending the day with me," Percy interrupted me, putting his arm around my shoulders and pulling me to his side. I glared at him and pushed him a little, trying to put some space between us. I will admit, though, that it felt nice to have his arm around me.

"Yeah," I said. "It's his birthday tomorrow, so we're going to hang out with our other friend."

"Just the three of us," Percy added pointedly.

"Well, maybe tomorrow we could get some coffee?"

"I'd love-"

"I'm sorry," Percy, once again, interrupted. "We'd love to stay and chat, but we really must be going. _Our _friend is probably wondering where we're at."

I glared at him even harder.

"I'd love to have coffee with you, Ben. I'll meet you in front of the hotel tomorrow morning at ten," I said sweetly just to get on Percy's nerves.

He smiled. "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow."

I smiled back at him. "Bye," I said.

I watched as he left, every once in a while he would glance around him, taking in the sights.

"I can't believe you just set up a date with that guy," Percy said incredulously as we turned around and started walking again. I noticed he still kept his arm around my shoulder and it made my stomach flutter.

Realization dawned on me then, and I couldn't help but smile hugely.

"Percy Jackson, are you _jealous?_"

"N-no," he stuttered. "What m-makes you think t-that?" he asked, his face going red.

Oh this was just too good.

"You're blushing," I pointed out, his face growing even brighter.

He growled lightly and turned his head away. "Oh, what's it to you, anyways?"

I just pursed my lips together to hide my smile.

We walked in silence the rest of the way. He eventually took his arm off my shoulder and I felt disappointment in the pit of my stomach.

We found Grover hanging upside down from a tree. There was a rope around his ankles and another rope around his arms and torso.

"Grover!" I shouted. Percy and I ran up to him. I also noticed his hat was on the ground.

"Annabeth! Perrrrcy!" he bleated. "Thanks gods you guys are here! Can you get me down?"

"No problem," Percy said. He took a quick look around and then pulled Riptide out of his pocket and slashed the rope holding his ankles.

Grover got a face full of grass.

"Thanks, Percy," Grover mumbled into the ground. We helped him stand up and then took the ropes around his torso off.

"Grover, what happened?" I asked, patting away some dirt. I picked up his hat and placed it on his head.

"Wood nymphs," was all he said. "Never climb one of their trees. So, where are we going?"

Grover and I looked at Percy.

"Well, uh, we could go bowling, I guess…" Percy stammered out.

"Sounds good," Grover and I amended.

We left Central Park and decided to take a taxi because the bowling alley was quite a ways from the park. Percy, however, was having bad luck trying to hail a taxi.

"Here, let me try," I said. He raised a brow and I just shrugged.

I turned toward the street and when a taxi came by, I waved my hand and shouted, "Taxi!" The second taxi car I yelled at stopped. I smiled at Percy and stepped inside, leaving the door open for him and Grover. Percy sat in the middle, and Grover came in last.

"Where to, miss?" the driver asked.

"The bowling alley, please," I replied.

"You got it." He pulled out onto the road.

Percy and Grover started talking about something, but I zoned out and stared out the window. So far, the plan wasn't going very well. I knew he was jealous, and that caused my heart to soar, but it wasn't enough. For all I know, this could just be a lost cause.

_What about earlier when you went to his apartment? He looked pretty shell-shocked to see you dressed up like you were._

Good point.

"Hellooo? Annabeth? You there?" I snapped my head over and Percy was out the door, staring at me.

I blinked. "What?" I asked stupidly.

"We're here. But if you want to ride around in the taxi…I'll understand."

I glared at him and said to the driver, "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it, miss," he said, grinning. I smiled back and then made my way out of the car. Percy was staring at the driver as he drove off, his eyes narrowed. I also saw that his jaw was clenched. I sighed, but on the inside I was once again elated.

"C'mon, Seaweed Brain," I said and tugged on his arm.

_Well,_ I thought, _maybe it is working. _


	7. Thinking

**Chapter Seven: Thinking**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO!**

* * *

**(Annabeth's POV)**

We walked into the bowling alley and went to the front desk. I looked around the place. Lining the wall on the far side of the building were twenty bowling lanes. Teenagers, families, and couples took up seven of the lanes. There was also a pool table and some arcade games, along with a snack machine and a pop machine.

The guy working at the desk put us on a lane and gave us our shoes. We put them on while Percy set up the scoring. There was a computer and you typed in your initials. It would then keep score for you throughout the game.

"Um," Percy said. "Who's going first?"

"How about we do rock, paper, scissors?" Grover suggested.

"Good idea," Percy said. We all stuck out a fist.

"Rock, paper, scissors!" I said. Percy and Grover both had rock and I had paper. "Hah! Paper covers rock. Now you guys go." They did and Percy did scissors while Grover did paper. Percy typed in our initials in the correct order. We got some bowling balls and we were ready to bowl.

I stepped up and threw the bowling ball down the lane, getting a strike. I turned around and saw Percy staring down the lane. He blinked, then got up and bowled, also getting a strike. When he came back, he smirked.

"Oh, it's on, Jackson," I said, challenging him. Just like old times.

"Bring it, Chase," he replied, the arrogant smirk on his face widening.

And so, it started.

It was the tenth frame, and I had gotten a score of one eighty-four. Percy had gotten two strikes, bringing him up to a one seventy-five. If he got another strike, not only would he get a turkey, but he would also beat me.

He took a deep breath then threw the ball down the lane. The pins hit each other, causing nine pins to go down. The last one was wobbling like crazy. I held my breath as I thought it was going to go down, but it didn't and stayed up.

"No!" Percy exclaimed as I cheered.

When he got to us, I heard him muttering, "Just one little pin."

I smiled at him. "It's alright, Seaweed Brain. You actually did an okay job." He smiled at me and ruffled my hair. I glared at him and he just grinned.

"So, where are we going now?" Grover asked when we walked out of the building.

"We could go to my apartment and play my X-box and then go eat somewhere for dinner," Percy suggested.

"Sure."

We called another taxi (thank gods Percy behaved) and we were at his apartment. He let us in before locking the door again. I stood there for a second, waiting for Rachel to come running to him, but she apparently wasn't there.

"Where's Rachel?" I asked, my voice tight.

"She left earlier today for Maine. She's going to this art convention or something. She wanted me to stay in New York so then I could hang out with you guys since I haven't seen you in a while," he replied while taking his coat off.

"Oh," I just said before going to sit on the couch.

Grover sat on the ground while Percy set up Halo 3, then he came to sit by me. We started playing, but my heart just wasn't in it. I kept thinking about what Percy said, about Rachel letting him stay to hang with us. She wanted to get between us, but then she let Percy be around me?

Either A) she doesn't want to seem suspicious, or B) she's trying to stay on Percy's good side while making me seem like the bad guy. I wouldn't be surprised if it was choice B. However, I'm starting to think that it's a little of both. We being here while she goes away just happened to work out perfectly for her.

After losing three games and winning five, we decided to go have dinner.

"How about we just order some take out?" Percy said.

"Sounds good."

"Great," Grover said. Percy went to the kitchen where the phone was and started ordering some Chinese.

"Hey Annabeth," Grover said. "Are you alright? You were zoning out a lot when we were playing."

"Yeah," I replied. "I'm fine. I was just thinking."

"Pretty intense thinking if you ask me," Grover said. I laughed.

"Okay, guys, Chinese will be here in a little bit," Percy said while coming in from the kitchen.

For the next twenty minutes, we just talked. We talked about our lives, where we wanted to be in the next ten years, currently what our jobs were etc. Then the Chinese food came, and we started to eat. When we were done, I looked at the clock and saw how late it was.

"Well," I said. "I should probably get going." I stood up and went to get my shoes on.

"You're not walking," Percy demanded, getting up and following me.

"Of course not," I replied. "I'm getting a taxi."

"Just be careful," Percy pleaded, his eyes worried.

I smiled. "I will. Bye, Grover!" I said.

"Bye, Annabeth!" he shouted back.

"I'll see you later, Seaweed Brain. Happy birthday," I smiled and he returned it. I then walked down the steps and out the door, hailing a taxi like I promised. When I stepped into my room at the hotel, I was ambushed by Silena and Thalia.

"Tell us _everything_," Silena demanded. So, I told them everything from the fight to the revelation about Rachel's plans.

"That little-"

"I can't believe her!" Silena shouted, interrupting Thalia's cussing.

"Well, there's nothing I can do if Percy won't listen to me," I said.

"I can fix that," Thalia said. "Let me talk to him tomorrow."

"Okay. And, um, speaking about tomorrow…" I told them about my 'date' with Ben.

"What?" Silena shouted. "After all this work, you go out with some _other_ guy you _just_ met?"

"Hey! We're just friends! It's not like this means anything!" I defended.

"She's right," Thalia said. "Besides, Percy'll just keep getting jealous until he finally snaps. It'll all work out."

I just hoped to the gods she was right.


	8. Percy the Spy

**Chapter Eight: Percy the Spy**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO!**

* * *

**(Percy's POV)**

I watched her step down the stairs and walk to the street where she then called a cab, climbed in, and drove away. I sighed, shut the door, and sat back down on the couch.

Annabeth had changed so much, but in a lot of ways, she hadn't. She was still my friend, but ever since I saw her yesterday, all I could think about was her. Then, when I saw her today again, she literally took my breath away. Of course, we still had squabbles, and she did punch me, but we always fought. It wasn't anything new.

I won't deny the fact that I was jealous (however I will deny anything you say about me putting my arm around her just _because_ I was jealous). The point is I realized that I wanted to be with her because, truth be told, Rachel was just a friend. She would never be more than that.

Now the hard part: getting Annabeth to love me.

"Well, I should probably go too," Grover sighed, making me come out of my reverie. "Thanks for the food and everything."

"No problem, G-man," I said. "It was great seeing you again."

"You too, man. And happy birthday," he replied with a smile, walking to the door.

Suddenly an idea popped into my head.

"Hey, Grover, what are you doing tomorrow?" I asked.

"Umm, nothing….Why?"

This was just too perfect.

"Percy, I don't like that look on your face..." Grover said nervously.

I then realized I was grinning like the Grinch when he found out how to ruin Christmas.

**THE NEXT DAY!**

I sat hidden in a tree across from the café where Annabeth and Ben were going to be having their…_date_ (don't ask how I figured out where they were going). I was watching the door, waiting for them to come.

"Ugh," the walkie-talkie in my pocket groaned. Grover was on the other line. He was helping me with my…um…situation. "Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for you…but, seriously, what are we doing here?" I looked over to my left and saw him swat a leaf out of his eyes. He was on the ground, hiding in some bushes. He should've climbed a tree, but after the incident with the nymphs, he decided he was fine on the ground.

"We're here to watch and make sure that Fuller doesn't do anything stupid," I replied.

_But we may suddenly get thirsty and have to go inside to get something to drink…_I added in my head with a smirk.

Suddenly, I saw them. My eyes narrowed at the sight of Fuller. I could just go up there and punch him right now…

I quickly grabbed the binoculars hanging around my neck and looked through them. He opened the door for her and then stepped in after her and put his arm around her. I growled.

"Whoa," Grover said, surprised. "First date, hardly know each other, and he's already got his arm around her."

"C'mon, Grover," I said, my voice dangerously low. "I'm thirsty." I climbed down from the tree. He just whimpered, but nevertheless followed.

We walked into the little café. The walls were green with brown designs. The counter was towards the back of the store, and the tables were in the middle of the floor. Along the windows were booths, in one of which sat Annabeth and Fuller. I walked up to the counter.

"A decaf and a blueberry muffin, please." The coffee was just for show, so then I could stay longer. The muffin was because I was hungry. I hadn't eaten anything before this quest.

"That'll be seven dollars and eighty-nine cents," the blonde cashier said. I handed her the money then sat down in a couple booths behind Annabeth and Fuller. I was facing Fuller with Annabeth's back to me so she didn't see me. Hopefully, Fuller wouldn't notice me. Grover sat down across from me. He pulled a napkin out from the napkin dispenser and started nibbling at it nervously.

I saw Fuller say something that made Annabeth laugh. My eye started twitching.

It was time to act.

Ignoring Grover's protests, I got up to "throw something away". When I walked back, I just _happened_ to look over and see them.

"Annabeth? Ful-Ben?" I feigned shock. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Percy, don't act like you didn't know we were going to be here," Annabeth said, glaring at me.

Dang, I loved the girl, but man was she scary sometimes.

"Hey, that's alright," Fuller said, speaking up. "I've got to run, anyways." Then he did something that made me want to take this guy into the alley and beat the crap out of him.

He kissed her on the cheek.

I couldn't believe this guy. Yes, I was jealous. Was I going to admit it? No, not out loud at least.

Annabeth stared at him in shock.

"Hey, Percy, can I talk to you for a second?" he asked, motioning toward the door with his head. I nodded once, my jaw clenched. Once we stepped outside, I had to squeeze my hands into fists and grind my teeth together in a feeble attempt at staying calm.

"Listen, Jackson," he started with a humorless laugh.. "I know you like her, but she's mine. If she wanted you, she wouldn't have agreed to go on this date with me. So just give it up."

"Yeah right. I'm not going to lose her to some pretty boy," I replied bitterly.

His eyes narrowed. "Watch yourself, Jackson," he threatened. He then turned around and walked past the café and disappeared around the corner. I stared at the sidewalk for a second, before looking back up.

"Percy! What the Hades are you doing?" Annabeth asked, storming out of the coffee shop with Grover following her.

"Umm, I think I'll go…" Grover said and slipped away silently.

"You shouldn't trust that guy, Annabeth," I warned, my hands clenched.

"I'll trust whoever I want to," she huffed, crossing her arms and looking away. Even though she was mad, she was still very beautiful.

I thought about what she said. _I'll trust whoever I want to…_The only question was…

Would she trust me?


	9. Confessions

**Chapter Nine: Confessions**

**Disclaimer:** I own PJO!

**Percy:** -snort- Yeah, and I'm the Queen of England.

**Me:** O_O I didn't know that.

**Percy:** -_- AC doesn't own me or my friends. Nice try though.

**Me:** -shoulders slump- Better luck next time!

* * *

**(Annabeth's POV)**

I couldn't believe Percy. He was acting weird this morning. I just didn't understand why he interrupted Ben and me. Yes, the guy was getting a bit annoying, and part of me was glad Percy came, but it was still strange.

Why would he do that? Was he really that jealous? If so, what did that mean? Did he actually have feelings for me? Was there hope after all? Or was I just seeing things that weren't actually there?

I hoped to the gods the latter was answered with a 'no'.

"So…" Percy started as we started walking. To where, I didn't know. "Was it worth it?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"The…date." I couldn't overlook the tone of disgust he used when he said that.

I sighed. "Honestly, I don't think so. The guy's nice, but he only talked about himself." Percy laughed at that, but he soon became quiet. I looked over at his face and saw his brow furrowed. He was obviously thinking very hard about something.

"Percy," I sighed, stopping in front of him so he had no choice but to stop. However, he still didn't look at me. "Something's different about you. You're acting kind of strange today." I looked up at him, but he didn't meet my gaze. "Would you please look at me?"

"Annabeth," he suddenly said. He finally looked at me, and his gaze was so intense that I found myself drawn into him.

I remained silent and waited.

"Annabeth," he repeated. "I know that we've been through a lot, and I know you probably don't trust me, but that doesn't matter." He put his hands on my shoulders.

"Percy, don't-" I started, but he interrupted me.

"If I don't say this now, I never will, and then I'll regret it." I closed my mouth and swallowed the lump in my throat. He took a deep breath. "Annabeth Chase, I love you. I always have. And nothing, not Rachel or some guy you've just met, is going to change that." He stopped for a second, looking at something but not really seeing it. "I'll fight for you and make you see that I'm telling the truth."

My jaw dropped in shock. This was just so…sudden. Unexpected, yet somehow expected.

I wasn't exactly sure how to respond to that. Of course I loved him. I would risk my life for him in a heartbeat. But what about when Rachel came back? What would happen then? Ben was definitely out of the picture. He was just an acquaintance, someone I happened to run into.

It didn't make sense for Percy to love me. I ran away from him eight _years_ ago, haven't talked to him for eight _years_…

…and yet, he loved me like nothing had ever happened.

He truly was a Seaweed Brain…_my_ Seaweed Brain.

"Percy…I-"

**(Percy's POV)**

My heart was pounding in my ears. Oh _gods_ why did I do that? There was no reason to. But I just needed to get it off my chest and tell her, to let her know that I loved her and I wasn't going to lose her when she was so close.

The air around us was tense. I held my breath as I watched her face for any emotions. First, there was shock, then her face turned soft, next was worry, and then finally confusion.

After ten long, excruciating seconds, she answered.

"Percy…I-" She paused, and my heart dropped.

She didn't love me. Why would she? She had Fuller, right?

My hands dropped to my side. "I understand," I whispered and turned away.

"Percy, wait!" she called, grabbing my wrist. I turned around, hopeful again. "Percy," her voice was soft and there were tears in her eyes now. "I _do_ love you, very much." I rushed forward and hugged her. She wrapped her arms around me in return.

"I'm just confused," she said into my chest.

I looked down at her. "What's there to be confused about?" I asked.

"Well, for starters, how could you love me after leaving you on the hill?" She was trembling now, and I knew she was crying.

"Annabeth, I knew things were hard for you then. I kind of understood why you did it. Plus," I chuckled a little. "I've learned to forgive and forget."

She smiled a bit and sniffed. I smiled back and wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"Let's go back to my apartment," I suggested. She just nodded.

It was there, in front of some apartment building, her head in my hands, that I had the sudden urge to kiss her.

And so I did.

I leaned down towards her. Her eyes slowly slid shut and her lashes caressed her cheeks. My eyes shut as well, and I kissed her. After so many years, it was a huge relief to finally feel her again, to finally, _finally_ kiss her. I felt a spark pass through and my heart fluttered. She responded by wrapping her arms around my neck and fisting my hair. My hands slid down to her waist and I pulled her against me, loving the feel of her body pressed against mine. The need for air pulled us apart, and I rested my forehead on hers.

She smiled up at me, and I was happier than I had ever been in my entire life.


	10. First Date

**Chapter Ten: First Date**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO!**

* * *

**(Annabeth's POV)**

This was turning out to be one of the greatest days of my life. I was so happy we were together.

We got a cab and went to his apartment. The entire time he had me crushed to his side, and every now and then, he would place a kiss on top of my head. Each kiss made my smile bigger and bigger. When we stepped out of the taxi, he picked me up bridal style and carried me to his door.

"Percy!" I shrieked. I clung to his neck. He just laughed. "Don't you dare drop me," I threatened.

"Don't worry," he replied. "I won't."

He stepped inside the door and set me down. I took my shoes off and sat down on the couch. He came and sat beside me and then pulled me onto his lap. I laid my head on his chest and closed my eyes.

This was pure bliss. I was alone with the one I loved, and there were no distractions.

I turned towards him and wrapped my arms around his neck. I leaned in and kissed him. His grip around my waist tightened and he pulled me closer to him. He shifted around a little so that I was lying down and he was above me. One of his hands went down to my hips and slipped under my shirt. I gasped and we broke apart. He nuzzled my neck as his hand traveled across my stomach.

Suddenly, the phone rang.

We froze. Percy looked up at me, and I stared back at him. After the fifth ring, the answering machine went off.

"Hey, Percy. It's Rachel." I swallowed and my stomach muscles tightened uncomfortably. "You're probably still sleeping, or you're out with your friends, but that's fine. I just called to tell you happy birthday! I'm coming home tomorrow afternoon. I miss you, and I'll see you soon. Love you, bye." And then she hung up.

We were still frozen.

What was I doing?

"Percy, I-I should go. I-" I said, trying to get up. He just put his hands on either side of my head.

"Don't go." He looked down at me with his pleading, sea-green eyes.

That was all it took.

I calmed down and he started talking again. "I'm not staying with Rachel. As soon as she comes home, I'm breaking up with her," he promised.

He sealed it with a kiss then stood up and offered me a hand. He pulled me up, and I hugged him.

"You're my world now," he said. I hugged him even tighter.

**(Percy's POV)**

We stayed like that for a while. All of a sudden, an idea sparked in my head.

"Let's go on a date," I said. She looked up at me, surprised.

"Okay," she accepted slowly. "Where, though?"

"How about the amusement park?" I suggested. She nodded and smiled. We went back to the door to put our shoes on. We left my apartment, got a cab, and went to the park. When we got there, there were families, couples, and little kids everywhere. The park had roller coasters, Ferris wheels, merry-go-rounds, haunted houses, mini golf courses, bumper cars, super shots, and a bunch of other rides. We went to a booth and got wrist bands.

"Where to first?" I asked.

"Let's go on a roller coaster," she said. I could tell she was excited. I grabbed her hand and we ran off to find a roller coaster. We found one and stood in line. It had loops, twists, sharp turns, and steep drops. After a couple minutes, the line moved forward, and we were on the ride.

"That…was…awesome!" Annabeth exclaimed. I grinned and nodded as we started walking to another roller coaster. "When we did that flip, you were totally freaking out!" Annabeth said with a smirk.

"I was not!" I lied. I could feel my face getting hot. Truth be told, I actually was kind of creeped out.

I looked at the roller coaster we would be riding and saw that it went up pretty high. I'm sure if the clouds were really low, you would disappear into them. Annabeth stared up at the climb in wonder. She was probably thinking about architect stuff, like structural supports and other things I wouldn't understand.

After five minutes, we were on the ride.

"Okay, I'll admit, the height was kind of creepy," Annabeth said.

"Yeah, just a bit," I said sarcastically. She smiled and nudged me with her shoulder. "Are you hungry?" I asked.

She nodded. "A little bit."

"How about some cotton candy?"

"Sure!"

We walked to a concession stand and got cotton candy. It was a mix of blue and pink. We walked over to a bench and sat down. I held the cotton candy for her while we picked some off and ate it.

"Thanks for bringing me here, Percy," Annabeth said.

I smiled. "Of course." I leaned down and gave her a quick peck on the lips. They were sugary and sweet from the cotton candy.

This was turning out to be a pretty nice date.

**(Ben's POV)**

I glared at the two of them, sitting on the bench, eating cotton candy without a care in the world. I snarled when he kissed her.

I couldn't believe Jackson. He had actually got her. Bastard. He's going to pay for that. Same for Annabeth. I've got a few things in store for her. She'll regret ever being with him, rather than me. She has a gorgeous body, and it's going to be her downfall.


	11. First Attack

**Chapter Eleven: First Attack**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO!**

* * *

**(Annabeth's POV)**

It was getting dark, so we decided to leave. I was disappointed that it was ending, but the whole time, I felt like someone was watching us. It was creepy and disturbing. I voiced my thoughts to Percy when we were in the taxi.

"Yeah, same here," he said with his brow furrowed. "It was still a great day though," he grinned.

Soon, we arrived at my hotel. Percy stepped out with me. "Hey, it's still evening; did you want to go for a quick walk around the block?" he asked. I nodded, took his hand, and we started walking.

I was glad that he had chosen me over Rachel. I was glad her plan had failed.

_But you had a plan, too._

My brow furrowed. I _did _have a plan, but as time went on, I started to forget about it. Did the fact that I even had it in the first place make me just as bad as Rachel?

I couldn't come up with an answer for that one.

"You look like you're thinking awfully hard there, Wise Girl," Percy suddenly said. He chuckled. "What's on your mind?"

Should I tell him? It would definitely get rid of this guilt I felt. "Percy, there's something you-"

"Well, well, what do we have here?" a voice asked menacingly. Percy and I looked up.

"A couple of people taking a stroll?"

It was Ben Fuller and four other guys flanked him, each one as big and burly as the next. Percy stood in front of me protectively and snarled.

"What do you want, Fuller?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing much. I just want you out of the way," he said with a wave of his hand. The four guys advanced on us. Percy took out Riptide, which through the Mist, probably looked like a knife.

"Percy," I whispered to him. "You know that won't-"

"Hurt them," he finished. "I know, I know."

"Two can play at this game." Ben took out his own knife, as did the other men. Three of the guys charged at Percy. I backed away so I wouldn't get hit.

"Annabeth, get out of here!" Percy shouted.

"Not so fast," Ben said. The other guy grabbed me around my waist and brought me to Ben. The whole time I was kicking and thrashing, trying to get away from him. "Hold her down," Ben said in a dangerously low voice.

"No!" Percy shouted. I thrashed more, but I stopped when the guy held a knife to my throat. He pinned my hands above my head.

Ben stared at me with hungry eyes. Tears fell from my eyes as he unzipped his pants. I shut my eyes tight. I felt him rip my shirt open and grabbed my hips roughly, but then suddenly his hands were gone. My hands were freed and I fell to the ground. I looked up through my tears and saw Percy in front of me. All the guys were on the ground and were now starting to get up.

Percy capped Riptide then turned to me, picked me up, and ran. I clutched onto him and he hugged me tighter to his chest.

"I'm so sorry, Annabeth. I promise you're safe," Percy said to me, his voice full of sadness.

"Are you okay?" I whispered, my voice hoarse.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me," he replied.

"Where are we going?"

"You're hotel room."

"Okay," I said. He asked for my room number and I told him.

He never once stopped running, not when we were talking, not even when the manager of the hotel yelled at him. We finally reached my room. Only then did he stop to take a breath. He was breathing hard, but he still held onto me. He opened the door and stepped in. He set me down, but still held onto my waist. Silena and Thalia looked shocked and surprised to see us, especially since my shirt was ripped. Finally, they snapped out of their shock and ran up to us.

"What happened?" Thalia demanded, looking between Percy and me. Silena brought me a different shirt, and I slipped it on. My legs were shaking as they led me over to a bed and sat me down, Percy's arm still around my waist.

When we told them what happened, Thalia looked like she was about to kill something, and Silena had wide eyes, but then she soon turned angry.

"I can't believe him!" she exclaimed. Thalia didn't say anything, but she still looked murderous.

"I was going to suggest you to move in with me," Percy said, "but I didn't know Thalia and Silena were here. I just don't want you anywhere near that guy."

I stared up at him in complete shock.

"You should, Annabeth," Silena said. "I was going to leave tomorrow, but after hearing what happened, I think I'm going to leave tonight."

"And I have to go back to the Huntresses," Thalia spoke up. "We're leaving soon to go to the Carolina's."

"Okay, then." I looked at Percy and smiled a little. "I guess I'm moving in with you." He smiled back.

I then started packing everything into my bags. Silena did the same, and she was soon ready to leave.

I gave her a hug. "Thanks for everything," I whispered in her ear. When we pulled back, she just smiled and nodded.

"Bye, guys. It was great seeing all of you again," she said and left without another word.

"Well, I should probably go, too." Thalia gave me a hug, and I thanked her like I did Silena. She then turned to Percy and gave him a hug. "See you later, Percy," she said, and then also left.

Percy carried my bag for me as I checked out of the hotel. We got a taxi, the whole time looking over our shoulders making sure the psychopath, Ben, wasn't anywhere.

We got to his apartment and I unpacked my stuff. We were both tired and worn out from today, so we decided to go to bed. I slid under the sea green covers. Percy wrapped his arms around me, and I laid my head on his chest.

"Are you doing okay?" he asked.

"Yeah. Just a little shaken is all," I replied. He hugged me tighter.

"I promise to keep you safe," he whispered.

I believed him, and I knew he would keep his promise.

**(Rachel's POV)**

So it was there, in a bar, drinking my martini, that I mentally loathed Maine.

I missed New York. Maine was totally different, and I hated it.

"Can I have a scotch on the rocks?" a guy said with a slightly Spanish accent. I looked over and saw Adonis himself. He had black, sleek hair with perfect facial features. He wore a suit, but you could definitely see his muscles.

"Hi," he said. I looked up at him and blushed. He had intense blue eyes.

"Hi," I replied.

"I'm Marcus, and you are…?"

"Rachel,"

"Well, Rachel, it's a pleasure to meet you."

A pleasure it was, indeed.


	12. Crazy

**Here we go guys! More drama in this one! **

**Most people said they'd take the million, which I guess is cool. I probably would too, since I'm going to Mexico next year anyways. **

**Enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO!**

----

Chapter Twelve—Crazy

----

(Annabeth's POV)

A couple days passed without word or sight from Ben, to which I was thankful for. Rachel eventually came back, and Percy and her had a clean break up. She explained about meeting a guy named Marcus, and I only hoped that things between them worked out. She also, to my surprise, wished us a happy relationship.

It was two days after Percy's birthday, and things were going pretty well.

But all good things must come to an end.

That morning, we got up and I decided to make pancakes for breakfast. I had a feeling something bad was going to happen, but I didn't say anything because I didn't want to worry Percy.

He was taking a shower, getting ready for work, while I cooked. Soon, though, he came up behind me and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

"They smell delicious," He said.

"Well you don't have to wait long," I said. "They should be done in a couple minutes."

"Okay," He replied. "I'm going to go get the paper." I nodded and he walked out the door.

The pancakes were done, so I plated them and put them on the table along with orange juice and syrup. I sat down and waited for Percy to join me.

It was taking him an awfully long time to get the paper…

With the bad feeling resurfacing, I quickly got up and made my way towards the door. I opened it and stepped out.

What I saw stopped my heart.

Percy was holding his hands up, the paper at his feet. A few yards away from him was Ben, holding a gun.

--

(Percy's POV)

I stepped out to get the paper, but for some reason it was on the sidewalk instead of right outside the door.

"So, Jackson, we meet again." A voice behind me said. I looked up and there was Fuller, except he had a gun, and it was pointing at me.

He honestly looked like he was insane.

His hair was messed up, like it hadn't been combed in a while. His clothes were wrinkled and only one sleeve of his shirt was rolled up. His pants were dirty, and for some reason he was barefoot.

The thing that scared me the most, though, was the crazed look in his eye.

"I'm going to end this, right here, right now," Fuller said.

"Ben," I said calmly. "Put the gun down, and we'll talk about this." I took a step forward.

"No!" He shouted and cocked the gun. I stopped abruptly and raised my hands up. "Don't take another step. I'm going to enjoy this so much." He laughed humorlessly. "Then, I'll take your girl and have a little fun with her."

I narrowed my eyes. "Don't you dare touch her."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Annabeth step out the door, but once she saw what was happening, she froze.

"Annabeth, go back inside." I said as calmly as I could.

"You take one step and I kill him now." Fuller said. "You should know, Annabeth, that I never lose. I always get the girl. So say goodbye to Jackson."

"Percy!" Annabeth yelled.

A gun shot.

Pain.

Silence.

Darkness.

(Annabeth's POV)

No…

This can't be happening. I stared at Percy on the ground, blood starting to pool around him. I heard police and ambulance sirens, and Ben took off running down the street. The police pulled around the corner and stopped in front of the apartment.

I ran down to Percy and turned him over. He got shot in the stomach.

"Percy! Please, don't leave me!" I sobbed. "You promised to keep me safe! You can't leave me!"

"Ma'am, we need to take him to the hospital." They pulled me off of him and put him on a stretcher. They wouldn't let me ride in the ambulance with him, so I rode with one of the cops to the hospital. They asked me some questions, and I answered as best as I could, but they could see I was too preoccupied.

Don't you dare die, Percy.

When we arrived at the hospital, they took him to the ER, and I had to wait.

It was the hardest time of my life. A nurse came and checked on me a couple of times, but other than that, I was by myself.

It was the first time I felt truly alone.

--

Finally, after three hours, a doctor came and sat down with me.

"Is he okay?" I asked.

"He'll be fine." He smiled reassuringly. "We got the bullet out just in time. It didn't hit anything major, so that's good. The only thing we have to do now is wait for him to wake up. You can visit him if you like."

I sighed in relief. "Thank you so much, doctor." He smiled and nodded before getting up and leaving.

I quickly got up and went to his room. He was lying on the bed with IV's hooked up to him. The only thing breaking the silence was the heart monitor. I sat down in the chair beside the bed and grabbed his hand. He looked peaceful in his sleep.

Again, I sighed in relief.

----

**How was it? It was pretty dramatic in my mind.**

**Question: Hmm…I'm running out of ideas…Let's have another story time!! I like those :D Okay, okay. I want you to tell me about either and embarrassing moment (so original, I know), or a really sweet moment. When I say sweet, it could be when your parents bought you a car, or sweet like your boyfriend took you out on a nice date. Just…tell me something. **

**Lol, review and answer!!**

**--Akatsuki Child**

**(Edited August 1, 2009)**


	13. Awake and Epilogue

**Hi guys! I'm not sure who I said it to, but I told them there were five more chapters left, or something like that. I lied, and I'm sorry. THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER!! This consists of chapter thirteen and the epilogue. **

**I liked reading your guys' sweet and embarrassing moments. My embarrassing moment: One time I was listening to my iPod, and I was singing really loudly. The sound was cranked up, so I couldn't hear anything. My brother and his friends walked in laughing! I was sooo embarrassed, I didn't touch my iPod for a long time!!**

**So, once again, enjoy the LAST chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. **

----

Chapter Thirteen—Awake and Epilogue

----

(Annabeth's POV)

I'm not sure how much time passed while I sat there, holding his hand, my head resting on the bed, watching his face for any signs that he might be waking up.

"Annabeth…" He suddenly breathed my name. I stood up and came closer to him.

"I'm right here, Percy," I said, gently rubbing his arm. He slowly opened his eyes, and I couldn't help but smile. I felt tears of happiness pool in my eyes. "Oh, gods, Percy. You are so stupid!"

He smiled. "At least you're safe," He whispered. I held his head in my hands and gave him a kiss on the lips.

"Don't you dare scare me like that ever again." I threatened. I gave him another quick peck on the lips. My hands slid back down to clutch his hand.

"How long have I been out?" He asked.

"Your surgery took three hours…so probably four or five hours." I replied. Just then, the doctor came in.

"Well, Mr. Jackson, I'm glad to see you awake!" He exclaimed with a smile. He then explained to Percy some other stuff about the surgery and where the bullet hit. "You'll have to stay with us for a couple days, though." He concluded and left. Then a cop came in, the one who had interrogated me.

"Mr. Jackson, glad to see you're okay." He said, nodding to Percy. He looked at me then. "We were able to use the information you gave us, and we've caught the suspect. He was questioned and then put into jail. He was a rapist, and the fact that you got away made him insane." His brow furrowed. "We found some disturbing things in his room, and hopefully it will help us in court. I just want to thank you for your help."

I nodded. "I'm glad you caught him." The cop nodded and left.

I looked back down at Percy and saw how tired he looked. "You should get some rest," I said as I sat back down in the chair.

He closed his eyes. His last words before falling asleep were, "You should, too,"

I smiled, rested my head on the bed, and fell asleep as well.

---Epilogue---

After a few days, he was able to come home. He was a little shaken, but otherwise he was fine. He didn't do much for a while due to doctor's orders ("Take it easy. I don't want to see you back in here because you opened up the wound."). After a couple weeks, he was back to normal.

We continued dating, although we did have occasional fights, even having a major fight that resulted in him sleeping on the couch for a week. He was too stubborn to say 'sorry', but eventually he did, saying he missed the bed (though I knew actually missed sleeping by me).

After about a month of dating, he wanted me to officially move in. So, we had to move all my stuff from San Francisco to Manhattan.

It was Hades.

Grover visited from time to time, and Thalia did once. I had called Silena a couple times, and I found out she married Beckendorf and they were expecting a baby boy in seven months.

A year passed and I got to see Brady Beckendorf. He had Silena's gold hair, but Beckendorf's strong face. Overall, he was very cute, and I knew he would be just as great as his parents.

One night, in September, my mother decided to pay us a little visit.

"Hello, Annabeth," My mother, Athena, said.

"M-mother! Hello! May I ask why you are here?" I asked as politely as I could. Percy and I were having a beautiful dinner by candlelight, and I didn't want it to be interrupted. I was really curious as to why she was here, though.

"I've come to speak to Perseus Jackson." I looked over at Percy and saw his wide eyes full of fright. He shakily got up and the two of them talked in the hall in private. What were they talking about that was so important that I couldn't be there?

I sat there for about ten minutes, nervously tapping my fingers on the table, when finally Percy walked back in. He was alone, so I guessed my mother had already left.

"So what did my mom want?" I asked as he sat back down.

"She just wanted to tell me something. You know, warn me about what would happened if I broke your heart." He said dismissively. I just nodded. Athena had done that before after Percy got home from the hospital.

When we were done eating, Percy took me to the roof of the building. You couldn't see the stars, but you could see the big, bright moon.

The city was eerily quiet tonight.

"Dance with me," Percy said suddenly.

I looked up at him in shock. "What?"

He smiled. "Dance with me," He repeated in a softer voice. He grabbed my right hand and placed his left one on my waist. I slowly placed my left hand on his shoulder, and we started swaying from side to side. He started humming softly, and I wrapped my arms around his neck and laid my head on his chest. In turn, he placed his hands on my waist and pulled me against him, resting his head on top of mine.

"I love you," He whispered and kissed the top of my head.

"I love you, too." I gave him a sweet kiss on the lips. We were silent for a while, but then he spoke up.

"Annabeth, we've been through so much. I love having you by my side every day and night, knowing you'll always be there for me. I'd never hurt you; you're too precious to me. I love waking up knowing that you'll be there to help me through the day. Annabeth Chase," He said. We stopped dancing, and he took both of my hands into his. He dropped down onto one knee.

My heart was thudding loudly so in my ears that I was sure he could hear it. Tears came into my eyes.

"Wise Girl," he continued. "Will you marry me?"

Without a second thought, I said, "Yes,"

I tackled him onto the ground and gave him a huge kiss. He laughed and kissed me back. He stood up and pulled me to my feet. He searched through the pockets of his jacket before pulling out a little black box. He opened it, and there sat a beautiful ring. It was a silver band with a diamond sitting on top. Surrounding it were little diamonds, twisted into an intricate pattern.

I gasped. "It's beautiful," I whispered.

"I'm glad you like it." He said and took it out and placed it on my wedding finger. I admired it for a second, before hugging him and giving him another kiss.

Being a daughter of Athena means you're wise. Before any of this happened, I questioned that. I feel like I'm fifteen because that was when I realized my feelings for Percy. It was the time I wished Rachel was out of the picture, and it was just him and me. Things were complicated then.

After eight years…they've gotten better.

----

**How was it? Was it a pretty good ending? The very last paragraph was like a re-write of the very first paragraph of the story. **

**My final question: Is there anything I can do to improve this story? **

**I'm going to go back and fix my story and replace the chapters after they are fixed, so I'll take anything I can get. **

**Thanks so much you guys for your support! I don't think I had one bad review, for which I'm glad. Once again, thanks!! I had a fun time writing this, and I hope you had a great time reading it!**

**P.S. I'm writing a one-shot, some of you have heard about if I gave you the details. I'm happy to say it will come out soon. I'm going to finish writing it, edit it, and then post it, so watch out for that!**

**I hope to see reviews from you guys in the future!**

**--Akatsuki Child**

**(Edited August 1, 2009)**


	14. Behind the Scenes

**Hello everyone! This is just a little something extra that I did because I was bored. I hope all of you like it! **

**--The disclaimer is the story. I even tell you that it's the disclaimer.**

**Enjoy!**

**----**

**Behind the Scenes of Darkest Before Dawn with Annabeth Chase, Percy Jackson, and Akatsuki Child**

**----**

"Hey there!" Annabeth said. "It's Annabeth here with Percy and AC, and we're here to take you behind the scenes of Darkest Before Dawn!"

"Why are we doing this again?" Percy sighed.

"Because AC said so, idiot!" Annabeth replied, hitting him on the arm.

"Ouch! Why'd you hit me?!"

"'Cause you're being stupid!"

"Both of you stop it!" I intervened. I took a deep breath. "Now, tell them why we're doing this _exactly."_

"Okay…" Percy sighed. "We're doing this because AC feels that this story was way too serious…"

"…when in fact it was a pretty hilarious process." I finished for him. "So, let's get started!"

**Day One**

"The first day was the hardest," I said.

"Yeah," Annabeth agreed. "Everyone was really nervous and it was kind of awkward."

"You know what? Awkward is an awkward word," Percy randomly said.

"…"

"…"

"Er…okay…" I said. "That's…nice…Anyways, we had to call in some people and not everyone was friends –cough cough—Rachel…Annabeth…"

"Hey, in the end, it made the story more believable." Annabeth glared.

"PERCY!" I yelled.

"WHAT?!" He yelled back.

"Nothing, just making sure you're still with us. You're kind of quiet today…do some talking!"

"Like what?"

"Tell them why Nico wasn't in this fic!"

"Fine! So, Nico wasn't in this fic because…well…first off, he wasn't available. He was with his dad, and—"

"Secondly, AC didn't think of Nico until half-way through the story," Annabeth finished smugly.

I glared at her. "Yeah?! Well…_you're a fictional character!"_

She gasped. "Take that back!"

"No!"

"Can we just get on with this?!" Percy yelled exasperated.

I sighed. "He's right. I have an idea! Let's bring in Grover! He's awesome!"

"Did someone say my name?" Grover asked, suddenly appearing out of nowhere.

"Grover!" Annabeth and I yelled.

"'Sup, G-man?" Percy asked and they pumped fists.

"Nothin' much…so why am I here?"

"You're going to answer some questions!" I said. "Question one: what was it like being back with Annabeth and Percy?"

"It was awesome! It brought back a lot of memories…though most of them were memories of us almost getting killed…"

……Awkward silence……

"Riiiight…Next question! In the scene where you and Annabeth are at Percy's apartment and the two of them are about to fight, viewers wanted to know if you were actually nervous, or if it was just good acting?"

"Well…it was partly acting, but it was mostly real. Man, when those two get in a room with Rachel, you can't NOT be nervous."

Annabeth and Percy glared at him. Grover laughed nervously.

"Hey you're right!" I exclaimed. "Last question: Are you and the tree nymphs on better terms yet?"

"No, and I don't think things will ever be the same." He said sadly.

"Oh, well, that's too bad. Thanks for joining us! Now go get some enchiladas from the food court or something."

"Yes, ma'am!" Grover said and ran off.

"I've never seen him run that fast…" Annabeth said while squinting her eyes at his shrinking form.

"Annabeth! It's time to ask you questions!"

"Right. Bring it on!"

"Question one: You are basically the main character in this story and you had a big role…how do you feel about that?"

"I was nervous. I was always wondering if I was doing the right thing, or if I was saying my lines right."

"Interesting…question two: What was your favorite scene?"

"Oh, uh…" Her face turned red.

"I think we know," I said with a sly smile. I glanced at Percy and his face was red too and he was shifting his feet nervously.

"I'm going to go get some water," He mumbled.

"You do that. Just be here when it's your turn to answer questions! Alright, question three: Off set, did you and Ben get along pretty well?"

"Yeah, for the most part. We didn't talk that much, but when we did he was really nice."

"Was Percy jealous?"

"Hades, yes!"

"Was not!" Percy yelled, returning from his trip.

"You totally were, and you know it."

"Alright, lovebirds, break it up. It's time for Percy's interview! Question one: was it fun being a spy?"

"Duh. I got to climb a tree and be all James Bond-like. I was awesome."

"You _wish_ you were awesome!" Annabeth shouted.

"Question two: In real life would you ever knock Ben's lights out or anything of the sort?"

"Yup."

"…"

"…What?"

"Nothing…question three: how did you feel about not being the center of attention for once?"

"Oh it was—hey!"

--giggles from the peanut gallery—

**Day Two**

"What was unique about day two?" Some random person asked.

"Well, it was more important than unique because that's when we went to New York from San Francisco, and New York was the main setting." I answered.

"And that's it?"

"No! Of course not!"

"Then what else happened?!"

"That was when Annabeth got mad at Rachel, and then her and Percy almost got in a fight!"

"Would you just let it go!" Percy shouted, throwing his hands up.

"Excuse me, viewers, while I "let it go." I said.

---Screen blacks out and there is a beeping noise---

---Suddenly, the camera gets back on and you see Percy and my back at a tilted angle---

"What the –beep—is your problem?! I'm trying to –beep—work here!" I yelled.

"What the –beep—is _my _problem?! What the –beep—is _your_ problem?! You're being a total –beep—right now!"

"It's my movie/fic! I can –beep—throw you the –beep—out of here! Grow the –beep—up!"

---Screen blacks out again and then focuses on me---

"Sorry about that," I apologized. "I had to take care of a problem. Now let's talk about Percy's apartment! PERCY!"

"What do you want now?!" He yelled, aggravated.

"Tell them about your apartment, damnit!"

He narrowed his eyes. "No. I QUIT!"

"WHAT?! You can't leave!"

"Oh yes I can!"

"No, actually, you can't."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Oh…why not?"

"You signed a three-year contract with me. For three years, I can use you any way I want. I don't own you **(Disclaimer—wink, wink—)** –Rick Riordan does—but I can sure use you."

"Well….damn. Fine. So, the apartment was brand new when we got it for this project. We had to get the flooring done and the paint and everything."

"Yes, it took a lot of work."

"Hey, where's Annabeth?"

"She's right—oh…crap. Annabeth!"

"Annabeth!"

"Annabeth!"

"Annabeth!"

"WHAT?!" Annabeth screamed.

"Annabeth! You're here!"

"Of course I'm here. I never left."

"…"

**Day Three**

"Let's see, what happened on day three…?"

"Ummm…." Percy 'ummmm'ed.

"That's when Thalia and Silena came in," Annabeth said smartly.

"Oh YEAH! I remember now!" I exclaimed.

"Wait," Percy said, panic in his voice. "Does that mean—"

"Yup! Everyone say hello to Thalia and Silena!"

"AHHHH!!" A shrill scream. It was Silena, obviously. "AC! ANNABETH!"

"Silena!" I yelled. Annabeth just did a little 'Eek.'

"PERCY!" Someone else yelled.

Thalia.

"Ahhh!" Percy yelled and hid behind Annabeth.

"Percy, get over here!" In stormed a very, very mad Thalia.

"Percy what did you do?!" I asked, hands on my hips.

"Nothing!"

"Bullsh—" Thalia started.

"Ok! I may h-have helped the Stoll b-brothers with a prank….on her," He gulped. Annabeth took one step to the side.

"Sorry, Percy," Annabeth said. "But you're on your own on this one."

"C'mon, Percy," Thalia said, grabbing Percy by the collar of his jacket. She dragged him into his trailer and shut the door with a loud thud.

---Five minutes later---

"AH! Anything but that—AHHH!!" Percy screamed from inside.

"Uh, maybe you should do something, AC…" Annabeth suggested worriedly.

"Nah…the punk could use some toughening up. He'll need it for the next movie/fic."

"What is the next movie/fic?"

"That's classified information. Anyways, while Thalia is beating the snot out of Bozo, let's interview Silena!"

"Yay! It's finally my turn!"

"Yup! Now, if I was a snowball and the Earth was equal to the diameter of a very large cookie, and there were only five fish in the sea, how many kids would Annabeth have?"

"What?"

"Just making sure you were paying attention. Question one: did you like the costume designs?"

"Well of COURSE! Everyone's outfits were SO cute!"

"…question two: how are things between you and Beckendorf?"

"Oh things are great! We've actually bought a bigger apartment since the end of the movie/fic."

"Lovely. Question three: were you okay and comfortable with being a secondary character?"

"Absolutely. I could never handle the main role. I'd be too nervous."

Suddenly, Percy's trailer door burst open and Percy tumbled out with a yelp.

"Percy!" Annabeth yelled and ran over to him. She helped him stand up, and you could see a bruise starting to form on his face. His hair and clothes were messed up, and he had a traumatized look in his eye.

"Serves you right. Hey, can we get an icepack over here?!" I yelled. A random worker ran up and handed me and ice pack.

"Here you go, Miss Child." He said.

"Thank you, now go and start checking the script for the new movie/fic."

"Yes, Ma'am!"

"Here you go, Perce." I said, handing him the ice pack.

He glared at me. "You told her about my helping with the prank, didn't you?"

"I may have mentioned it when I called her earlier."

"You're a demon!"

"No, I'm a –insert author's real name here—"

He rolled his eyes.

"Thalia! Come over here, you Hunter you!"

"Sup AC?"

"Nothin' homedawg. Lay it on me thin. What's the scoop?"

"What?"

"What's up?"

"Oh, nothing. Don't I have to do an interview or something?"

"Oh yeah! Question one: was it fun to be with your buddies again?"

"Hades yes! When we were filming this, I hadn't seen them for years!"

"Right. Question two: were you sad that you didn't get to show off your bow and arrow skills?"

"Yes. I wonder whose fault that was…?" She stared pointedly at me.

"I wonder who that was, too. Strange fellow, he is, for not adding fighting scenes."

Thalia rolled her eyes.

"Question three: if there was one scene you could reshoot (write) what would it be?"

"Oh that's easy. The scene where we're at the salon; I would cut that whole part out."

"Of course." This time _I_ rolled my eyes.

**Day Four**

"I didn't like day four," Annabeth said.

"I did," A new voice said. We turned around and saw Rachel.

"Le gasp!" I shouted. "Rachel Elizabeth Dare!"

"Hi Percy," She said seductively.

"Hey now. Remember that you, too, signed a contract, and you agreed to not get all…_touchy_ with Percy—or any other guy, for that matter—unless instructed to do so. I may not be on the best terms with Percy, but he doesn't need to have to worry about you. So, uh, back off!"

"Yeah!" Annabeth said.

"Whatever," Rachel rolled her eyes.

I narrowed my eyes. "You know what? Just because of that, you don't get an interview!"

"HA!" Annabeth yelled, pointing at her.

"I don't think that's very fair," Percy said.

"WHAT?!" Rachel, Annabeth, and I shouted.

"Percy, what are you doing?" Annabeth asked shakily.

"Yes! Thank you Percy!" Rachel squealed.

"PERCY! I just defended you! And this is how you repay me?! JERK!" I yelled.

"Well, I mean, she's…I mean…yeah, never mind. You're right. She doesn't deserve one."

"YEAH!" Annabeth and I shouted.

"PERCY?!" Rachel yelled. "I HATE YOU!" She screamed and stormed off.

"Finally!" I rejoiced.

"Good riddance," Annabeth said with a nod of her head.

**Day Five**

"Day five: the day where the plot thickened."

"You don't mean…" Annabeth started grimly, and Percy's eyes narrowed.

"Yup."

The three of us looked off into the distance and at the same time said,

"Ben Fuller."

---Queue the song Sexyback---

Suddenly, Ben's trailer door burst open and out walked Ben in slow motion. He had on a slightly tight shirt and jeans that hung on his hips. He also had a pair of sleek black sunglasses. He slowly walked toward us, a brilliant smile on his face. He then slowly reached up for his glasses and took them off.

_Thank you imagination,_ I thought.

"He may be half a jerk," I said, then sighed. "But he is one piece of hot meat,"

"I'll give you that," Annabeth agreed.

"WHAT?!" Percy yelled.

"Oh, don't worry." I said. "You'll still be with Annabeth. _I_ get Mr. Hot Man here."

"Hello ladies, Percy," Ben said, finally getting to us.

"BEN!" I shouted and threw myself at him. Ben was shocked at first, but then he chuckled and hugged me.

"I am NOT going through this again!" Percy exclaimed. He quickly grabbed Annabeth's hand. "Come on, we're going to my trailer until Mr. Look-at-me-I'm-so-hot leaves!" He tugged her into his trailer.

"You're just jealous!" I yelled. "Alright, Ben, it's time for your interview!"

"Cool, cool." He responded coolly.

"Question one: did you enjoy the role that you played?"

"Yeah, I guess. I think the bad guy is awesome in anything."

"Even if that bad guy was a rapist?"

"Er, I was playing a rapist…"

"Right. I knew that. I was just…testing you... Question two: can you explain your character for us?"

"No problem. Anything for you." He smiled. I squealed. "So, Ben was this crazy psycho killer/rapist who wanted Annabeth but couldn't get her, so he did what he could to get her."

"Sounds diabolical. Question three: what did you think about Ben's final act and how he turned into a loony?"

"I thought it was fitting. A psycho killer gets a psycho ending."

"And he knows it!"

"Hey!" Percy yelled from the trailer. "Is he gone yet?!"

"No!" I replied. "You'll have to wait a little longer."

"Why?! Just kick him out! We have to go on with the show!"

"You can wait, young man!"

"Just hurry up!"

"Ugh. Fine. Sorry, Ben, but you have to go!"

---Shoves him in the direction of his trailer---

**Day Six**

"Somebody gets jealous on day six!" I said in a sing-song voice.

"Whatever," Percy mumbled with a red face.

"Oh, and guess what?"

"What?"

"We're going to mix it up a bit and do a talk show! With _everyone_ in the scene!"

"What?! NOOOOO!!"

---Suddenly scene changes and I'm in a cheesy suit with my hair all cheesy like and Percy, Annabeth, and Ben are in comfy-looking chairs---

"Why did I ever agree to do this?" Percy groaned, slouching in his chair.

"Hello everyone, and welcome to my show called…uh…My Show!" I said. "Here with us today is the cast of day (chapter) six of Darkest Before Dawn! Tell us your names please!"

"Annabeth Chase," Annabeth said with a small wave.

"Percy Jackson," Percy groaned again.

"Ben Fuller," Ben said, and he sounded very sexy.

"Wonderful. Now, Annabeth let's start with you. What did you think of this chapter?"

"I thought it was hilarious!"

"It was so stupid!" Percy interrupted. "She just wanted to make me look like a jealous freak."

"But you are a jealous freak," Ben said.

"You wanna go Ben?"

"No! I want to stay on AC's lovely show." He winked at me.

I squealed…again.

"Hey!" Annabeth exclaimed. "She was asking me! Wait your turn!"

"Yeah!" I said. "Anyways, _Percy_…you obviously didn't like this chapter, but was it important?"

He sighed. "Yes," Then he smiled. "Because then I became a spy."

"You, boy, are easily made happy," I accused. "BEN! You probably loved this chapter, right?"

"Heck yes!"

"Thought so. Anyways, that's it for today on My Show!"

"Really?" Annabeth asked. "We didn't really talk about the chapter…"

"Is it called Annabeth's Show? No, it's called My Show! Deal with it! Tune in next time when we talk about hamsters! Until then, stay pretty!"

"You _wish_ you were pretty!" Some random guy shouted.

**Day Seven**

"Day seven was boring," I said. "The only reason I put it in there was because I kept saying that Annabeth, Percy, and Grover were going out together for Percy's birthday…"

"Wow…that _is_ boring…" Percy said.

"And you would know," I said, no sarcasm in my voice. "I made you three go through with it."

"But I did do some hard thinking." Annabeth said.

"Yeah, at like, the very end. Plus, it was only like, four paragraphs long. That was pathetic on my part."

"Should we just skip this, then?" Percy asked.

"That'd be a good idea."

**Day Eight**

"I believe that was when Percy turned into a spy," I said, scratching my chin.

"YES!" Percy yelled. "I LOVED this chapter! It was the bomb!"

"Are you sure it's not just because you turned into a spy?" I asked, raising a brow.

Percy stopped doing his karate moves. "What?"

"Percy," Annabeth sighed. "Don't you remember what happened after day eight?"

He thought for a moment then a light bulb turned on. "Oh...now I remember. I'll admit that had something to do with it, but I REALLY loved being a spy."

"So I've heard…" I mumbled. "Anyways, it was fun for me because directing it was fun. Percy had to learn how to climb a tree, and he had to perfect his sneaking techniques. It was just plain awesome."

"I thought it was funny to watch." Annabeth laughed.

"It sure was! I think this was a favorite of a lot of people, and if they didn't like it…well then they're as crazy as a chicken with one leg and three eyes and a pair of lips!"

"What?"

"Nothing." I said quickly.

**Day Nine**

"Ooh la laaa!" I said slyly.

"Let's skip this one!" Percy shouted.

"NOPE! We can't! This one was VERY important!"

Percy just grumbled.

"We went from eight years of "I'll never be happy unless I'm with Percy!" to "I'm happy because I'm with Percy!"

"You BETTER not be talking about me!" Annabeth warned.

"Who else?"

"AHHH! Wait a minute…you wrote that though! HA!"

"But…damn, she's right. You'll never get away with this!"

"Yes I will!"

"I know."

"Do you want a cookie?"

"Yes, please."

"Then you should have made some!"

"Gah! How dare you! PERCY! Control your girlfriend!"

"_The punk could use some toughening up,"_ He mimicked with a shrill voice.

"DAMNIT!"

**Day Ten**

"Love is patient, love is kind…love means slowly losing your mind." I said ominously.

"You stole that from 27 Dresses, didn't you?" Annabeth said.

I glanced around nervously and gave a short laugh. "Ha, no...Anyways, this is the day when you and Percy went on your date!"

"Yes!" Percy said.

"I didn't care for it."

"What?! How could you not care for it?!"

"It was like day seven: I had to put it in there, but nothing really happened. It was just a filler chapter, and it sucked!"

"Once again, the ending was the only important part." Annabeth said.

"Yes, Annabeth, thank you for, once again, pointing that out. Thank you, once again, for pointing out, once again, that I had another filler…once again."

"…You are a sad, strange little woman, and you have my pity."

"HA! You stole that from Toy Story! I'm not the only one that steals!"

"…"

"This chapter just wasn't hot,"

"_I'M_ HOT!" Ben yelled, popping up out of nowhere.

"BEN!" I squealed and attacked him, and the two of us fell to the ground. "You were in this chapter, too!"

"I KNOW! ISN'T IT AWESOME?!"

"YES!"

"WHY ARE WE YELLING?!" Percy asked.

"WE'RE EXPRESSING HOW EXCITED WE ARE!"

"OH, OKAY!"

"CAN WE JUST MOVE ON?!" Annabeth asked as Ben pulled me up from the ground.

"YUP!"

**Day Eleven**

"I liked this chapter for two reasons," I said.

"Let me guess," Percy started. "You liked it because Ben was in it,"

"How'd you know?!"

"Lucky guess,"

"You, young man, are creepy!"

"Stop calling me young man! I'm _older_ than you!"

"Well then stop calling me your mother!"

"I've never called you that!"

"He's in denial!"

"Whatever! You're crazy!"

"You, young man, are the crazy one!"

"AHHHHH!!"

_**Percy=0 AC=1**_

"Anyways," I said. "I also like this chapter because Rachel goes off with what's his face…."

"Lucas, right?" Annabeth said.

"No….it was….Max?"

"No…MARCUS!"

"YES!"

"Someone call for me?" A deep, low, sexy, Spanish voice asked.

We turned and saw Ben walking with Marcus!

Annabeth and I fell over from overexposure to pure hotness.

"BEEEENNNN!" I yelled. "What are _you_ doing here?! Not that I mind…"

"I've just been showing my buddy Marcus here around the set." He replied.

"Oh, great," Percy said. "You know, I didn't like this chapter. Annabeth practically got shanked."

"Your face got shanked!" I shouted.

"Your mom got shanked!"

"Your mom's face got shanked!"

"….Damn that's a good one…"

_**Percy=0 AC=2**_

"Marcus, I'd interview you, but you didn't really have a big part in this…" I said apologetically. I had been able to sneak in between Ben and Marcus so I could put my arm around his shoulder, but he was too tall and I was too short, so I ended up hooking my arm around his.

"Oh, it's alright." He replied. "Don't worry about it. I have to go anyways."

"Goodbye Mr. Hot Guy! Ben stay here!"

"YES, MA'AM!" He saluted.

"You, sir, are a silly goose."

"Your face is a silly goose!" Percy shouted.

"Your mom is a mongoose!"

"Your mom's face is a silly moose eating a mongoose!"

"…crap."

_**Percy=1 AC=2**_

**Day Twelve**

"Drama!" I shouted.

"Yeah no kidding!" Ben agreed. "You turned me into a crazy!"

"That's the beauty of it!"

"And I got shot!" Percy yelled.

"But not really. Sound affects and good acting took care of that. Let's do a rundown of what happened!"

**Scene 12, Take 1---ACTION!**

"Percy!" Annabeth yelled.

A gunshot (which was actually some hitting a board with a hammer).

Pain.

Silence.

**CUT!!**

"So yeah," I said. "A hammer and a piece of wood. Of course, it took more than one take because _some people_ have bad timing!" I accused.

"We can't all be perfectionists!" Percy shouted.

"Well we can't all be giraffes, but you don't hear me whining about it!"

"I think you need to get your head checked out! You are not normal!"

"Why in the world would I want to be _normal?!_ It's disgusting!"

"You would rather be a freak?!"

"No, I'd rather be toast, but God wants me to use my comedian and writing skills for the greater good!!"

"STOP FIGHTING!" Annabeth yelled. "YOU TWO ARE ANNOYING!"

I looked at Percy and nodded. At the same time we yelled,

"YOU'RE FACE IS ANNOYING!"

_**Percy= 1 AC=2 Together=1**_

**Day Thirteen**

"Percy wakes up!" Annabeth yelled.

"Yay!" I rejoiced.

"Woot!" Percy joined in.

"Yeah…!"

"Hooray."

"Sweet…ness…"

"…what else happened?"

"Besides the epilogue…nothing."

"Oh, well, er, let's go straight to the epilogue!"

"Right!"

**Epilogue**

"Let's see…" I started. "We had to move all your crap to New York…"

"Shut up, you!" Annabeth shouted.

"I am not a sheep!"

"Retard!" Percy "sneezed."

I stared at him. "…Bless you."

"Austin Powers." Annabeth sighed.

"Focus, Annabeth! Anyways, your mother came in the epilogue to talk to Percy…speaking of which, we need to bring in Athena!"

"NO!" Percy yelled.

"Too late! Everyone welcome Lady Athena!"

Athena walked in with a stern expression on her face.

"Hello, Annabeth," She greeted. She glared at Percy and nodded at me.

I shivered. "So, Lady Athena, question one: did you like working on the set for this project?"

She shrugged. "I suppose. It was amateurish, but it at least made sense."

My eye twitched. "Question two: what did you speak to Percy about?"

"Oh, I merely told him that if he hurt Annabeth after engaging to her that I would smite him."

"Merely told him, you say? Anyways, question three: will you be coming back anytime soon?"

"Yes, actually, I'm in this other movie/fic of yours—"

"—Which shall remain nameless! Thanks for coming! Now go back to Olympus or something!"

She glared at me and disappeared.

"Uh, AC," Annabeth started. "You probably shouldn't have said that."

"Oh well, she can't hurt me. She signed a contract."

"Did you make _everyone_ sign a contract?" Percy asked incredulously.

"Of course! What kind of director would I be if I didn't make everyone—even my workers—sign a contract? They could all smite me!"

"I'm interested as to what you made Ben and Marcus sign," Annabeth wondered.

I smiled, pulled out a piece of paper, and started reading.

"I –insert name here—hereby agree to all the terms of this contract. The terms, being 1. I will work for AC forever until I am of no more use, and I am not needed ever again. 2. I cannot be used for anybody else's stories unless given permission from AC; I cannot leave by will ("Though why they would want to is beyond me,"). 3. I must not have romantic relationships with anyone working for AC unless instructed to do so."

"That's what you had them sign?" Annabeth asked.

"Yup! There's some other stuff, too, but that's not important."

"HELLO!" Some random guy yelled (there are a lot of random guys…I hope they're hot). "What about the rest of the epilogue?!"

"Oh yeah…So the rest was basically that Percy proposed—which was a beautiful scene (almost as beautiful as me)—and you lived happily ever after. The end."

"Way to go out with a bang," Percy said sarcastically.

"Thank you! I thought it was wonderful!"

"You _wish_ you were wonderful!" Annabeth shouted.

"Well, viewers, that's it for behind the scenes! Tune in next week when Annabeth eats a mango in one bite, and Percy becomes a man!"

"HEY!" Both of them shouted.

"STRAW!" I yelled back.

Ben sighed. "I guess I'll say it while those guys fight. Thanks for reading and we all hope you enjoyed it!"

----

**I had SO much fun writing this! I hope you liked it!**

**Review please!**

**--Akatsuki Child**


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